About: NE Great Plains

Nebraska Great Plains

Vision:
To
educate citizens, develop leadership, and revitalize the area through
cooperative partnerships and leveraged resources.

Mission:
Serve as
models of positive, proactive leadership for other rural towns in the Midwest
region to share resources, successes, and opportunities to energize the
area.

Motto:

“Helping Communities
Help Themselves”

Area Description:  The Nebraska Great Plains RC&D comprises some 4,823 squaremiles in east central  Nebraska.  Roughly rectangular in shape, this 50 by 100 mile area is  overwhelmingly rural, despite having 54 percent of the state’s population within
its boundaries.  Eighty-five percent of the land is agricultural, primarily cropland.

The area is home to approximately 900,000 people, with 90 percent living in Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties  Three  percent of the remainder of the area’s residents live in the other six counties  in cities between 1,243 and 7,974 in population.  Seven percent live in smaller communities or on farms.  The population density is very disparate across the area, from 1,258 per square mile in Douglas County to 12.9 in Polk County.  The
average farm is 381 acres.  Of the 117 towns in the area, 76 have populations
under 500.  The median poplulation in this area is 355.

Summary of 2005  Activities:
                                                     
  • 330 Council member hours contributed
  • 738 Volunteer hours contributed
  • 130 Project partners
  • 12 Council meetings
  • 13 Completed  projects  
  • 12 Projects in progress                                                                                            

 Summary of 2006 Activities:

  • 400   Council member hours contributed
  • 803   Volunteer hours  contributed
  • 211   Project partners
  • 12     Council meetings
  • 12     Completed projects
  • 22     Projects in  progress
Summary of 2007 Activities:
                                                              
  • 400 Council Member Hours  Contributed
  • 1056 Volunteer Hours  Contributed
  • 168  Project  Partners
  • 12   Council Meetings
  • 12   Completed Projects
  • 17   Projects in Progress
Summary of 2008  Activities:
                                                                     
  • 620  Council Member Hours Contributed
  • 2,190 Volunteer Hours Contributed
  • 177   Project Partners
  • 12   Council Meetings
  • 12   Completed Projects
  • 15   Projects in Progress